


redemption lies plainly in truth

by Allspicebaby



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, mcyt
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, I've changed a lot of stuff to fit the Reader's narrative, It Gets Worse, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Rating May Change, Sharing a Bed, and some stuff ive just gotten wrong because im stupid, but I promise it's not a song fic, editing as I go, male reader - Freeform, shameless referencing to Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28287615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allspicebaby/pseuds/Allspicebaby
Summary: Not being involved in war is very, very difficult when both sides are vying for you. The choice seems easy. It isn't.This is not canon compliant at all lol
Relationships: Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF)/You (Minor/Onesided), Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)/You
Comments: 21
Kudos: 187





	1. midnight rendezvous

You’d never been the type to involve yourself in conflict, not directly anyways. As wars started and raged, you remained a neutral party… But when you were offered a position in Manburg, something about the way Schlatt looked at you told you that saying no would breed more conflict than saying yes.  
So, you allied with the president, moving from your isolated home to the bustling town of Manburg, and tried to forget about the bonds you’d made. Surely they thought of this as treacherous. A knife to the back. What choice did you have, though? You had never wanted a place in this war, but it was better this than a target on your chest.

It was this assurance that your friends despised you that only made the letter you received all the more perplexing. No… not a letter. A note, left to you through impossible circumstances.

_I’ve decided to collect my favor._  
_Meet me tonight if you’re true to your word._

Coordinates followed, with no signature. But you knew the calligraphy better than your own. Who could have delivered this?

Certainly not the letter writer himself. It was an understatement to say he was not welcome in Manburg, and the same went for his allies. Although, admittedly, your mind was swimming with a lot more than just thoughts about how the letter found itself to you. More so thoughts about the man who wrote it in the first place.

  
Well… you couldn’t just say no to him, even if you _wanted_ to. Which, you didn’t. Was it childish to say you missed him? After all, had you not been practically children, last you met? Not _literally_ , but after everything, it might as well be such.

There was little hesitation, and within the hour you’d already prepared your things. It was a LONG trek to these coordinates, assuming you had read them correctly. Once nightfall overtook Manburg, you slipped out to attend to your midnight rendezvous, tugging a hood over your head just to assure that if anyone saw you, they wouldn’t know exactly who you were.

It was now that you were finally getting close, the snow beating down on you without mercy. Perhaps you wouldn’t have seen the mountain of a man, even with his torchlight, if not for the crimson cloak. You teetered on your tired legs, shaking so bad from the cold that you collapsed into him.

He didn’t even shift at the force of your body, holding his lantern away from the both of you as he scooped you into his arm. You could feel his hot breath against you as he carried you, snow crunching under his boots. His scent was a safety blanket, partly rust and a hint of campfire smoke and entirely _musk_ , but it wasn’t the... disgusting sort. If you had more faculty over your movements, you might’ve protested his carrying you, but really, you were half frozen. When you did manage a grunt of protest, he simply grunted back, shifting your position in his arms so that you could look up at his face.  
Human but unmistakably Piglin as well. Nubby tusks and a flat snout and a loose, thick pink braid that was tucked into his cape.

You had closed your eyes eventually, but opened them at the creak of a door. You were dropped in front of a furnace, where you took a few minutes to regain feeling in your fingers and toes. God, it was your first time seeing him in far, far too long… and he had to _carry you_ to the rendezvous spot. You're an embarrassment.

“[y/n].” you look up at him, meeting his gaze at last. You swallow thickly, still ringing your hands.

“Techno,” you say in response, and oh, god had you missed it. You missed _him_. Seeing him now, so close to you - the ache in your gut was indescribable.

“You said you wanted a favor? I’m not sure what I have that I can give you,” you stated, watching as Techno unclasped his cape and tossed it over the back of an armchair before crouching down next to you on the floor.  
“Simple.” he said, looking you over. “Cut the act, and join me.” He said it so bluntly, as if it were easy as that. You raised your brows, looking at him in confusion. Just like with Schlatt’s proposition to you, the feeling sunk in that saying no would cause just as much - if not more - trouble to you. You had longed for the opportunity to show your friends you were still worthy of their trust, but now that you had it…

“I’m.. _trying_ to stay neutral,” you said, and Techno chuffed a wry laugh in response.  
“Oh yeah, siding with the president… real neutral of you.” He was right, but it still made you want to defend yourself. You didn’t, however.

“It’s not that I don’t believe in your cause, or that I don’t want to be on your side,” you said, and while his expression was somewhat bitter, Techno nodded.

“I don’t doubt that.” He stood up, fiddling with the collar of his white shirt and adjusting some of the chains looped around his neck and wrists. He tilted his head to the cozy looking bed near the furnace. “Sleep on it then.”

You flushed, shaking your head. “Oh- no, I.. I don’t want to take your bed.” You stated. You were about to suggest just leaving… but the snow was up to the window by now, and even next to the fireplace you could feel the cold biting at your skin. Techno shrugged, already beginning to remove some of his accessories.

“It’s freezin’. Wouldn’t exactly hurt to share it,” he said plainly, sliding off his boots. You were stunned. Techno had just been criticizing your morals, and not moments later, he was flat out suggesting you sleep in the same bed. Well… you supposed it's good he still trusts you, at least in a personal sense.

After removing your pack, shoes, coat.. Et cetera… you looked to the bed, hesitating before climbing across it to slide under the stiff blankets, knowing it would take a bit of time to heat up.

Or at least, you thought as much, before Techno got into bed as well, and all you could think of was how radiantly warm he was. It made sense, piglins come from the nether. But you weren’t thinking of logistics. You were hardly able to think about anything at all before falling asleep in the cradle of Techno’s heat, inches apart from the one man you trusted more than yourself, not plagued by the worry of your future decisions.. In that moment, you would give just about anything to assure your future would be right there next to him. A hand lingered over your cheek once sure you were asleep, before retracting back to Techno’s side.

“...g’night, [y/n].”


	2. Absent of Cause or Excuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so, so much to everyone who gave Kudos or commented ;; The support means so much to me and I'm glad to feed my fellow homosexies :sunglasses:

It must’ve been late morning when you awoke, but with the curtains drawn shut, the only light you were woken to was the kindling on the furnace. It took you a moment to register that you were in Techno’s bed, and even longer to realize he was no longer there. Not in the bed, not in the base. You sat up, immediately feeling the chills on your bare skin as the blankets fell off of you. You grabbed one, wrapping it over your shoulder as you climbed out of the large bed and sat on the rug in front of the furnace, basking in the heat while you attempted your best to wake up.

Your warmth was almost immediately interrupted, as the door swung open and revealed Technoblade, with an armful of chopped logs. He was sweating despite the temperature, and while you were momentarily upset from the cold wind that fell upon you, you quickly dismissed it as the firewood was added to the furnace, crackling with more heat. Had he just chopped it? Firewood seemed like something you’d want to have on hand, but looking at the fireplace, it seemed as if he hadn’t had need to tend to it in a long time. Right...you were certainly much squishier, and susceptible to cold. 

“Good morning,” you greeted, offering Techno a groggy smile. He huffed, something maybe close to a laugh, and tousled his cold hand through your bedhead.

“Afternoon,” he corrected with an uncaring tone, kneeling down beside you to put some meat on the fire. You were sure he had enough enchanted equipment to not require such a ritual... That wasn’t what you were concerned about though.

“Afternoon? You’re sure?” you asked, brow creasing in worry. Well, you were certainly not making it back to Manburg without SOMEONE being aware of your absence. You could play it off, but that was a bigger risk than no one knowing in the first place. (In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to go back at all, but even without the political uniqueness of this situation, you’d quite like your stuff back).

“Yeah, I think I got a better look at the sun than you did,” He responded, which only pulled a gentle laugh out of you. 

“No wonder you need glasses,” You stated, and once again, the piglin man let out a little chuff, not quite a chuckle but rather close. 

"I don't  _ need  _ them," he responded, fiddling with the chain his glasses were on. You don't respond, and silence hung in the air for a moment. He paused as if he was about to sit down next to you… before standing back up straight, kicking his boots aside and letting them slump near the front door he had entered through

“Made up your mind yet?” he finally asked, and you turned to him. You knew exactly what he meant, but it took you a few moments to process it anyways. You weathered your lip between your teeth. 

“I.. Yes, I have. But even if I were to join you right now, I still have things to retrieve. Give me some time, okay?” As you spoke, Techno’s face was away from you. His back was straight.   
“One week. Get your stuff and be back here in one week, or I’ll take it that your loyalties lie with the government,” he stated, and the bitterness in his words made you flush in embarrassment and guilt. You nodded, but when you remembered he couldn’t see you, you spoke up.    
“Yeah.. got it. Sorry,” you said weakly, and he turned to you, his brow was furrowed in an emotion that seemed completely foreign on his face… Worry, or distress, or… something or other that you couldn’t quite pin down. It was subtle, but you noticed how out of place it was on the man’s usually stoic features. Admittedly, it scared you a little, more than his hostility ever had. 

“I trust you’ll make the right choice,” he said, but his words were hollow. It was a lie - you knew it and Techno knew it. Not only did he not fully believe you’d come back to join him, he was scared of the alternative. Though, you didn’t realize  _ that  _ at the time. With another bout of awkward silence, you got up to your feet, and averted your gaze from the hybrid as you got dressed. 

“Right, well.. Suppose I’ll see you in a week.” you gave a smile, and in return, Techno turned to you, his expression taking on its usual stillness. He huffed, sighing out his snout before walking over to face you properly. You peered up at him in confusion, waiting for him to say something… give some parting wisdom or quip or final jab of vague insult. Instead, you heard a  _ fwump _ of his cloak, and felt his arms around you, pulled against his chest. Your face flushed suddenly, and you were too startled to return the hug for a few moments. You did manage to collect yourself enough to do so, however, embarrassed to find your arms barely made it around his midsection.    
“Don’t make me wait that long,” he gruffed gently, patting your shoulder before pulling back. He didn’t give you a goodbye, turning his back to you and making his way to the cellar of his home to work on his brewing. A wave of regret washed over you, suddenly not wanting to leave… but you did, tugging your cloak over your head and making sure you had everything on you that you had brought in, which admittedly wasn’t much.

* * *

The sound of boot heels clicking against sleek, polished wood was all that filled the room, though from within your own body, the noises of blood rushing and pumping gushed much louder than the intimidating footsteps of your  _ “president” _ . 

While your paranoia had left you expecting some sort of summon from the man at word of your unannounced disappearance, you had NOT expected to find him upon entering your home. Of course, this wasn’t the usual protocol with Manburg’s citizens, though just like with Tubbo, there was an extra eye kept out for people previously associated with the exiles. And perhaps when Schlatt arrived at your home to find you out of place, he decided to wait for your return and integrate you instantaneously. 

“Go ahead and sit.” Schlatt’s voice was amused in that sharp way it always was; the words themselves innocent, while his voice tainted it with his especially unique cruelty. Your ass hit the seat of the couch without a single moment of hesitation; You were a submissive fool. The confidence you had felt of leaving this wretched country and rejoining your true companions had dissolved, and you were painfully reminded of why you had joined Schlatt in the first place.

“Do you need something?” you asked him, and the horned man barked out a laugh, lifting his leg so that his ankle rested on his knee. What did he know? You felt like you might tremble.    
“Are you stupid or something? What day is it?” He asked, and you wracked your brain before feeling your face go hot.    
“O- oh.. I was supposed to-” you covered your mouth with your hand, and cursed yourself for your ignorance. Of course, Saturday mornings. A casual way for the president to keep an eye on you over a-

“COFFEE, [y/n]!” he shouted, in that awfully scary boom that made you tremble. “Jesus, I know you’re dull, but I think we’ve done this enough fucking times for you to remember, eh?” he asks, scoffing and adjusting the collar of his stark white shirt, before his hand fell over the buttons of his suit jacket. 

“Yes- Yes I’m.. sorry, of course, of  _ course,  _ I should have remembered, I just… Yes, I’m very sorry.” Your voice held a tone of guilt and regret, and while Schlatt took it as remorse for making him angry, it was a guilt from the betrayal of Technoblade. You had a week… but even just being back in the same room as him put you back into the dread that came with opposing him. The power he had seemed to be so superficial when you were with Techno, but that was easier to realize when he wasn’t shouting in your face. 

“..Right. I’ll see you at dinner instead then.  _ Don’t  _ stand me up, understand?” He had asked, though while you stammered your understandings, he was already on his way out. You peered down at your lap, jaw clenched tight.    
  
You shouldn’t have left Techno’s cabin. Fuck, you should have never gone in the first place. 


End file.
